Judge suppresses statements by murder suspect

Statements by murder defendant Shala Williams, implicating him in the fatal shooting of a Syracuse man last year, cannot be used against him at trial, a judge has ruled.

In a 20-page written decision filed today, state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti concluded the prosecution had failed to disprove Williams' contention that he asked to talk to a lawyer and was denied by police who continued questioning him.

Williams, 23, of South Avenue, is accused of fatally shooting James Brennan Jr., 36, during a Sept. 9 break-in at Brennan's Graves Street home.

The court "is not bound to believe one version or the other of two conflicting accounts of the same events," Brunetti wrote.

The judge concluded the accounts were equally balanced, creating a reasonable doubt about the issue. Since it was the prosecutor's burden to disprove the defendant's claim, Williams' statements should be suppressed, Brunetti decided.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Spano said the suppression of Williams' oral and written statements hurts the prosecution case, but he noted that the prosecution also has witnesses placing Williams at the scene and the cooperation of a co-defendant who implicates Williams in the crime.